Vibrating board



April 13, 1954 G. HARRELL 2,674,993

VIBRATING BOARD Filed Sept. 27, 1952 Duong LI Qndaoooaa IN VEN TOR.Gerald/'ne Har/"ell Ecm/@FF a .5L/CK, nays.

Patented Apr. 13, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VIBRATING BOARDGeraldine Harrell, Alameda, Calif. Application September 27, 1952,Serial No. 311,875

(Cl. 12S-33) 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a vibrating table or board and moreparticularly relates to a health device whereby one may enjoy thebeneficial effects of vibration.

It is well known that vibration has beneficial effect on the human bodyvery similar to massage and that is highly beneficial both from aphysiological and a psychological standpoint. Vibration has the effectof calming the nerves and further aids the functioning of the variousbody organs.

Various devices have been proposed in the past for providing suchbeneficial vibration, but such devices have ordinarily been rathercomplex and thus expensive to manufacture. The high cost of such deviceshas generally kept them from wide-spread use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vibrating boardwhich is simple in structure and which is capable of providing the humanbody with beneiicial vibration.

Another object of this invention is to provide a vibrating board whichis inexpensive to manufacture, which may be stored in a small space andwhich is simple to use.

t In the drawings forming a part of this applicaion:

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of my improved vibratingboard.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of my vibrating board.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of my vibrating board.

Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view showing the vibrating mechanism ofmy improved board.

Referring now to the drawings by reference characters, the vibratingboard is indicated generally at 2. The board has a base 3 which mayconsist of a sheet of plywood or other suitable rigid material ofgenerally rectangular shape. Preferably, the board is about 6 feet longand 2 feet wide, although the dimensions may be varied without departingfrom the scope of this invention. The board may also be made in single,three-quarter or double bed size. One may use the board as a bed forsleeping. Over the base 3, is placed a padding or a cushioning material4 which is preferably sponge rubber, although other cushioning materialssuch as kapok, felt, feathers, hair and the like may be used. Thepadding is suitably 31/2 to 4 deep. Over the padding 4 is an outsidecovering 6 which. may be cloth, leather or similar materials, but ispreferably a plastic material such as a thermoplastic vinyl resin sheet.

Mounted under the board, at approximately the center is an electricmotor 1. The electric motor is suitably a 1700 R. P. M. 1A horsepowermotor. Preferably, the motor is of the oil-sealed ball bearing typesince this type of motor is best adapted to stand up under the vibrationimposed. Mounted on either end of the motor on the shafts thereof aretwo eccentrics 8. Each eccentric 8 is held in place by a set screw 2|and may be of any convenient size. Ordinarily, the board is providedwith several sets of eccentrics so that one can adjust the strength ofthe vibration by changing the eccentrics. In other words, if gentlevibration is desired, light eccentrics could be used, while if moresevere vibration is needed, heavier eccentrics can be used. The motor 1is provided with cord 9, a switch il and a plug I3 for conveyingelectricity to the motor.

If desired, the board may be provided with one or more straps, l5. Thesestraps may be placed over the bodyy arms or ankles, and are particularlyuseful if the board is used at a slant as hereinafter described.

In use, the board may be placed across trestles l1 and i9, although nospecial support for the board is necessary. Instead of the trestles l1and I9 one may use chairs or other ordinary articles of furniture. Inthis manner, the construction is kept very simple and it enables theboard to be stored in the minimum amount of space.

In using the vibrating board, it is frequently desirable to use it at aslant. The device of the present invention is well adapted for thispurpose in which case one end of the board may be rested on the floorand the other end on a trestle or an article of furniture.

It is believed apparent from the above description that I have provideda low cost device whereby the ordinary household can afford to have thehealthful benefits of a vibrating board. Further, it is apparent that mydevice can be stored in a minimum amount of space. In addition, thedevice of the present invention is very light so that it can be handledeasily by one person.

I claim:

A vibrating board comprising in combination a rectangular base member,an electric motor rigidly attached to the bottom of said base member,said motor having eccentrics on the shaft of the motor, padding coveringthe upper surface of said base member, a flexible strap at one end ofsaid base member, and two exible straps attached near the center edgesof the longer dimension of said base member, one of said straps beingattached to one edge, and the other strap to the opposite edge, saidstraps being adapted to be placed around body parts of a person lying onthe board.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,235,158 Krenzke Mar. 18, 1941 2,345,438 Tompkins Mar. 28,1944 2,500,508 Bachin Mar. 14, 1950

